Las Vegas, Nevada: Local Review + Tips

As far as parks, Red Rock Canyon NW of the city is not to be missed. Entrance is $5/car or free with a US Park pass for disabled people. The park is not remarkably accessible, but they try. We got married in there. Check my profile for pictures. The best part of the park is the scenic loop. That can be enjoyed without getting out of the car. The visitors center is fully accessible. You can’t get there with public transit and a cab would be prohibitively expensive.

The Calico park just east of there is very accessible. They have a boardwalk on the main path.

The infrastructure is great. I have been places where the question is “Do they have a ramp?” and here the question is “Where is the ramp?” It is a given that you can get into a place you need to go. As far as public transportation all of the buses have wheelchair lifts. The accessible cabs are great. I have had good luck with Whitlesea cabs (384-6111). Make sure an accessible cab is requested. Most of the sidewalks are in great shape. Some construction can cause problems for people on wheels. The main areas are usually fine.

I have taken the bus. One of the reasons we moved out here was the quality and accessibility of public transit. See www.rtcsouthernnevada.com for more information. I took it more when my Wife was working. I now have the Paratransit service. The bus stop is 1.5 blocks away. Nothing beats the door to door service of Paratransit.

Attractions are a little harder for me. Since I live here I don’t do the things tourists do. None of my friends that live in NYC have ever been to the top of the empire state building or to the statue of liberty. A lot of the best stuff requires a car to go to. I occasionally go to the strip, but not often. There are events on the strip, but we never go there just to gamble. There are better odds off of the strip. As far as museums go I have heard there are good ones, but I haven’t been.

Shopping Areas: The Fashion Show mall is very good. Most of the casinos have a shopping area. Most of the posh stores have a branch here. Tiffany’s is in the Bellagio. Miracle Mile at the Planet Hollywood. The Forum Shops at Caesars. The outlets to the north and the south are great. The outlet to the north is more high-end. Near the south outlet is Bootlegger’s Bistro. Not only is the food great, they have live music every night. I will ask about small venues for music. The showrooms at the casinos have big names. At the Orleans showroom the wheelchair seats are in the front row. At the Alice Cooper concert they let people stand in front of the stage. Even though we were in the front row we couldn’t see anything. We left when I realized I was watching the concert through the viewfinder of someone’s camera.